Sacred Communication/Journey Fall 2017

As the seasons change, I began to notice the changes that nature provides for the University. The leaves of amber and gold are falling from the barren branches. The clouds began to envelope the bright and life sustaining sun. The students begin to bundle up trudging through the muddy, wet, and antagonizing paths to their daily activities. As I sat late at night waiting for my friends to meet me for dinner, I sat watching the leaves flow and whirl in the wind and began to feel something new. While I sat amazed, I could feel the frigid wind flowing right around without touching me. Even as I knew that I was alone, I felt something was protecting me from the freezing winds of winter. While the seasons may change, The Protector will never forget his children. 

I didn't choose the music life...but actually, I did. 11/30/17 I remember my freshman orientation when we received our schedules; I have 13 classes while the rest of my crew members had 5 or 6. The amount of "how many classes are you taking?!" and "I'm so sorry" comments was uncanny. . People say music majors are crazy; it's true. But we do it because we love what we do and it requires a lot of our time. My career choice has is not something I have ever struggled with, it has been other people. People are concerned with the amount of jobs available and the pay, and I think about those things too. But I'm also doing what I love and what I am good at. I think God gave me the gift of music for a reason, and that was to share it with other people. As busy and hectic as my life my seem, it is all to reach my end goal: to share my music. I think the world would be a lot less bright without music, don't you?

Everyone is Stressed 11/30/17 With the end of the semester fast approaching, I can feel the stress level building on campus. I don't know if anyone else notices, but I can usually tell when it is a busy week for most people. It seems that a lot of big projects or tests end up happening in the same week for everyone, and I am not immune to that. I've had days when I would forget to get food because I'm busy studying or writing a paper. I have been trying to get better at taking breaks, because frantic work is never good work in my opinion. We end up getting sucked into out to-do lists and think our whole life depends on this one project or this one test. I have had these thoughts just as much as the next person; but I wish this wasn't the case. I hope that we can all find some relaxing time and step back and look at the big picture more often; it is not as scary as we might think.

Towards the end of this section, Turner talks about the Virgin Mary and its varying degrees of importance to some groups. He mentions that Catholics are more likely to carry a symbol of the Virgin Mary throughout their pilgrimage. Thinking about my knowledge of the catholic ideology, I noticed that they do place her in a bigger role. She is mentioned in a lot of their prayers and her picture is used a lot, especially with sculptures. When I have discussed the Virgin Mary, it is usually around Christmas, and we are going more in depth with the story of Jesus' birth and some of Mary's life before that. It is interesting to me that although both christian denominations, their is a big difference in how much we talk about one subject. I think there is probably a deeper history as to why Catholics and other denominations use her picture a lot more then methodists do. It would be interesting to find out why at some point.

The introduction of this book discusses the different types of pilgrimage, the first being Prototypical. I did not know there were many different types of pilgrimage. I thought there could be different terms used to classify the length of a journey, but I had not put much thought into it before reading. Prototypical pilgrimage is a pilgrimage that follows a founder of a single religion. I thought of Islamic religions where people make the trip to Mecca, considered the home or birthplace of Islam. I do not believe Christianity makes a big point about pilgrimage and making a trip of that significance. I know people do travel to Jerusalem and other significant places from the bible, but I have not seen a big push within the religious culture of Christianity to do so. I find it helpful to compare a lot of these readings to what I have practiced and seen within my own religion and I am intrigued at the somewhat vast differences I have found.

In this section, we are still discussing the act of prayer and the different ways in which one can do so. I found this quote to be quite interesting, "While one may pray privately, there is special merit to praying with others as part of a congregation; this is underscored by the fact that Jewish prayers are formulated in the plural rather than in the singular." I did not know that Jewish prayers were written this way, and after comparing to the prayers I have used in my church, I notice the difference. I find that when I'm in church and we are praying as a group, it would make more sense to use plurals then it is to use "I". I feel as though it would bring us together more as a congregation if we did this. I know in the Lord's Prayer it says, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us". This is the only prayer I can think of that I say in a group that is written this way. After this reading, I will be more inclined to ...

This reading was fairly interesting to me. One quote in particular stood out to me, "It affirms that simply moving into an allegedly sacred place does not necessarily make one present to it" (Lane 29). I think that a lot of people travel to sacred places in hopes that they will find peace or a new outlook on life, whatever it is that they set out to do/find. A lot of people probably get frustrated if they do not find what they're looking for once they arrive there. There is something to be said from physically being in a place and mentally/spiritually being in a place. With something as personal and spiritual as a sacred journey, you need to be there mentally as well as physically to find what it is that you are looking for. 

Pilgrimage In Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture , Turner and Turner state that there are three phases of the rites de passage. These three phases include: separation, margin and aggregation. The term separation is used to describe the leaving of the group that the individual partakes in when embarking on a journey. In the margin phase, he/she has no bearings. They are out of their old comfort zone, yet not in their new comfort zone. This phase leaves room for exploration. The aggregation phase is when one returns back to their everyday life and their comfort zone. It is when their pilgrimage is over (Turner & Turner, 1978, p. 2). Not just does one encounter these phases while in a spiritual journey, when hiking, one also enters into these three phases. In each phase mental, spiritual and physical healing and exploration take place. We can learn many things while being in these phases in life. If we open our heart and mind God can and will speak to us in these times.

Mountains as Our Objective Friends I desire a friend who doesn’t share my secrets. I desire a friend who gives and receives. I desire a friend who loves and accepts love. As I enter the trail with an open mind, it speaks, it teaches, it challenges, it gives, it receives and it listens. It’s everything I desire in a friend. The mountains became my friend. Hiking taught me lessons on peace, reflection and story making. Yet, it’s rigorous terrain taught me endurance and challenged my physical body and my mental state. It gave me shelter and provided me refuge at time. On this journey, I left my blood, sweat and tears along the way. This relationship is reciprocal. I loved the atmosphere that the mountains create. It became my best friend in only a few short hours. The mountains have experienced fire, deforestation, and animals attacking it. These things help form an objective viewpoint that the mountains hold.

Earl Shaffer: tried to forget the war, walked it all the way! The Appalachian Trail is a place where people come to escape, learn and connect to God. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a spiritual experience, but also a challenging experience. It requires determination and faith in order to make it through to the end. It has so many challenges. Between bugs, hard rain, exhaustion and blisters, it is quite the journey.  Mental preparedness is key to making it through the Appalachian Trail. Hiking the AT is a very relational activity. According to one journal entry we read in class, the hiker said, his family grows bigger every year that he hikes. By this he means that love and fellowship increase on the Appalachian Trail. There are registers every 10 miles or so inside shelters. In these registers, the pilgrims can write what is happening along their journey. The trail also requires lots of patience. Every once in awhile someone you are hiking with will carry your pack. This allows ...

Hike Weekend This past weekend, I went on a small hike up to the Appalachian trail. It was a treacherous journey, but it challenged me. It caused me to ponder what we have been talking about in class. I hiked with two of my best friends. On my way, up to the top of the mountain, that asked me about my current classes. I began to describe to them what I have been learning in my class, “Sacred Communication, Sacred Journeys.” It was an incredible opportunity to be able to explain to them how the Appalachian trail is a sacred place. I then explained to them the four axioms, and many definitions I’ve learned in this course so far. Then, I challenged us to reflect and ponder our narrative thus far in life. We discussed how God’s beauty is evident all around us. The thing that stood out the most to me the most was the peacefulness and stillness on the trail. The beauty of peace spoke to me. I realized what are rare occurrence it is to dwell in a place of silence in our everyday lives. ...

With the first step I took, I contained great excitement. The sweat upon my brow was minimal, but I knew it would increase. Step after step, I increasingly felt more distant from the city and more familiar with the forest. My heart was content. I no longer desired a stillness, the still was inside me. How did I reach this point? The journey was hard and treacherous, but worth every minute of it. The sweat increased, the excitement increased and the presence of the Lord increased. What I learned from this experience was that the hike was no longer about getting to the next lookout or the next break in walking. The hike was about the journey. The forest was a place to quiet my heart and listen to the creator of heaven and earth. The forest helped provide space for my heart, mind and soul to breathe. In our society there is very little time for thinking, breathing and connecting to the Mystery. The busyness that surrounds us is cluttering and suffocating. It all seemed to creep in on ...

According to “The Phenomenology of Prayer,” there are five different kinds of prayers that we could choose to partake in. These five different elements consist of thanksgiving, confession, petition, and intercession. After reading the first couple of chapters in this book, I have realized that personally, I struggle with the concept of the decentered self. Benson, discusses this concept in depth. “To pray is to experience a profound ‘‘decentering’’ in which the self loses its preoccupation with itself and focuses instead on God. The result is that one is constantly learning to pray” (Benson, 2005, p. 4). This quote has impacted me over the first few weeks of the semester. I am realizing that most of the time when I come to God, I am subconsciously trying to get something out of the time I spend with him. In our society it is easy to think that we are wasting time unless we are benefiting from it in some way. Spending time with God doesn’t always have a tangible or physical benefit, but...

Giving a Voice to the Noland Trail As we walked along the Noland Trail, I was in touch with my surroundings more than I had ever been before. I listened, smelled, tasted, and touched in an all new way. I smelled the rosemary busch. This smell reminded me of the wildness of the trail. It reminded me that once you enter the trail, you’re part of the wildness of the trail. The freshness of the rosemary, made me think of the fresh start one receives when they embark on a new journey. As we entered the open air, I hear the rhythmic waves continuously beating the shoreline. It beauty remained constant even with its ferocious nature. As I look to the trees that have grown on the shoreline, I see the strength of a tree that has remained constant in the midst of the storms that the waves have caused. So, as I de-centered myself even more and was patient with the grounds, I was able to achieve something new. This newness was “deep seeing”. I was able to reflect on the past month of my life. ...

Stories and Ideologies I am in search for authenticity. I am in search for my purpose.  I ask God to speak to me specifically about my purpose on earth. As a Christian, my role is to bring honor and glory to our Lord. I do this by being obedient, loving him, seeking him all throughout the day, and sharing with others about his love. My life is a story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. In order to achieve the end of my story, I must seek God in all that I do. I think it is important to reflect along the journey we call life. Stories orient us and help form who we are. When we are birthed into this world, we are told about certain experiences. These certain experiences shape who we are. They mold us into who we are. Ideologies are birthed from stories we are told and situations we have been in. We can not separate ourselves from our ideologies, but it is important to reflect on our ideologies and come to a conclusion as to why we believe what we believe. It is necessar...

Sitting here pondering the state of our world. If you asked me to describe the world in less than 3 words I would describe it as chaotic, sinful and twisted. This is not to say that there is no good in the world. I believe that God is seen in everything around the world, but humans have gotten caught up in self gratification. We want to gratify our desires quickly and on our terms. This is why if you look at celebrities in our world, parties, drugs, alcohol, food, expensive houses, unique clothes, plastic surgery, extravagant cars, and sexual relations are all put on a pedestal. We indulge in the things of this world. Money is emphasized. In the eyes of our society, the more of things you have, the more successful you are. This is such a twisted view to have because it teaches  young children that having THINGS is rewarding. This couldn’t be the farthest from the truth. It is teaching our youth to be arrogant, power driven, money hungry individuals in our society. How could we...

Topos v. Chora Blog Post I find myself going on a walk. I realize that I am asking God for Him to speak to me. I do this without even praising Him or thanking Him. I realize that I am relying on God to fulfill my tangible needs. This can be a good and a bad thing. I have experienced God while in walks in neighborhood, but this isn’t the only time I have experienced God. I tend to put God in a little box. Requiring that I have God when I want God and when I need Him. This takes away the aspect of believing without faith. It’s like i only have a good relationship with God when He is actively speaking. I think something is wrong with myself if I don’t experience God on a walk or in my quiet times alone with Him. It’s almost like it’s not enough to just sit and learn about Him. I have demanded God to speak to me when I’m on walks. This is so dangerous and irreverent in respect to God. This reminds me of some of the 4 Axioms. The one in particular that I am thinking about it the one tha...

Luke 4 This past week, I was lead to read Luke 4:1-13. Surprisingly, there were lots of parallels between this passage and what we have been learning in our Sacred Communication and Sacred Journey class. Luke 4:1-13 says, “ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[ a ] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[ b ]” 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[ c ]” 9 The dev...

A quote from “Landscapes of the Sacred” that really stuck out to me is, “It is an awareness that place may be itself possessed of power and life.” An example of a place possessing power and life is in Job 7:10 which says, “He returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him any more.” This verse gives personification to place. God knows what places we dwell in. God knows when we will be in certain places. God knows when to speak when we are in certain places. He speaks to us in places called “thin places” or “high places.” This is why people have “mountaintop experiences.” I wish I knew why this was the case. The mysteries of God are incredible. The mysterious qualities of God keeps us in awe of him and his creation on this earth.

As I have been reading “Landscapes of the Sacred,” this quote intrigued me.  “In this world come of age in the twentieth century, half of us have abandoned all hope of awed wonder in the world, while the other half tried frantically to rediscover a lost magic. (26) This quote has caused me to think critically about wonder. In our society, individuals seem to be one extreme or the other. There tends to be this contentment and satisfaction with staying in our comfortable homes, on our couches and watching netflix. This sense of complacency has caused us to lose our awe and wonder in the world and in who God is. It is like we aren’t amazed at who God is anymore. On the other hand, there are people that search so hard to find meaning in spirituality and magic practices. There seems to be no in between. Sacred journeys foster that wonder and awe that we are missing in our society.

Turner forms a picture of mysticism. When one enters into a pilgrimage they have the ability to have a “religious experience” or an experience with God of some sort. In class the other day, Professor Redick described an experience one of his students had in Ireland one year. They were on a hike and his student was walking through a cloud and he stopped in his tracks. He stopped because he saw a ram. This student believed that the ram spoke to him and asked him, “Are you worth enough to pass.” The student believed this was God speaking to him. In this depiction, the ram was Jesus and Jesus (the ram) replied and said, “I have paid it all for you. You are worth.” The student passed and continued to walk up the mountain. He then was above the clouds. This entire experience helped the student connect to God. It was a moment of mysticism. This story caused me to think about how God moves. He speaks to us when we least expect it and when in unique ways. “The pilgrim traverses a mystical way; ...

In “Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture,” Turner describes the idea of communitas and Buber’s ‘I-thou.’ This is profound and began to stir my thoughts. I think America has lost sight of the idea of a pilgrimage. Our nation was founded on a pilgrimage. When the British broke away due to religious freedom,  they set out on a pilgrimage. They endured lots of heartache and sadness. At this time, the idea of a pilgrimage was not anything new. Today, we lack the desire for pilgrimage. Only a handful of people actually quench their desire for adventure and journey. In “Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture,” Turner provides a picture of a pilgrim having to enter a rite-of-passage. She argues that it is followed by a “liminal” or in between. She says communitas is the unity you feel  once you have entered into the space. I believe I have felt this sort of community, but I believe there is something different about going on a pilgrimage and feeling communitas.

No time is more important than to be in the present. This photo above was taken during a walk I took with my mother during Thanksgiving break. I absolutely love fall and how vibrant this season is despite its ephemeral nature. There is beauty to be found in each season and whatever trials it may bring. I was reminded of that today as I was walking along the trail looking up at the trees that were painted with golden leaves. I felt so small but also deeply in awe with what I was seeing. Fall is oftentimes a very intense period of changing times. The leaves quickly turn colors and fall to the ground in preparation for winter. It always seems like such a whirl windy season of change. The temporary nature of this time is sobering. Today I was reminded by these trees to rest in the present and accept the changes in life that inevitably come.

This family was on a road trip and as they were coming up to Galesville, Wisconsin they saw nothing about the place. The father mentioned that it had looked like the same Wisconsin Prairie they had been seeing throughout the whole car ride. To them it was ordinary, but according to the insight of a nineteenth century prophet, they had entered God's first garden (The Garden of Eden). Upon approaching the Mississippi River, the father said that he immediately felt more aware of the variety of trees present. This excerpt reminded me of our class hike on the Noland Trail when Dr. Redick was asking the class what type of trees were surrounding us. At the beginning I thought the father would discover this place to be holy, but he was not able to enter the sacred place. Initially it seemed like he was experiencing flow when he left his family to hunt for more information on the Garden of Eden and attempted to look at everything according to how the Bible described the Garden, but I...

This article walks the reader through the process of a social worker helping a mother and her family out. I myself want to major in social work, so I was quite invested in this reading. Upon helping the family out, the social worker first had to establish a relationship with the mother; she was assigned to help the entire family, but more closely with the mother. I feel that building relationships with my future clients will be no problem for me because I enjoy getting to know people. I almost never meet someone and think to myself, "There's no way I can get along with this person." Another one of the main steps to helping the family out was goal planning. The family, by definition, is considered population-at-risk so their family income is low and their living condition is horrid. Some of the goals they set included learning parental skills and preventing the removal of their children by improving their child care. Goal setting is something I do on the daily, so I feel...

When reading The Book of Proverbs, there were three versus that ultimately stood out to me. The first verse is one of my all time favorite verses in the Bible: Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not in your own understanding;" I think it is my favorite because I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason; I do not need to know why certain situations play out the way they do, all I know is that I trust God to get me to where I need to be. The next verse that stood out to me was Proverbs 27:7 "A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." The moment I read this, it was almost like my mind interpreted it automatically. To me, the verse is comparing a secure person to an insecure one; if an individual is secure they'll have higher standards, but if they are insecure they will live to be people pleasers and welcome just about anyone into their lives. Proverbs 28:14 "Happy is t...

2 Chronicles 20 - Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon November 27th, 2017 SArah Clark I'm always amazed how even after hearing Bible stories my whole life, there are still so many stories I haven’t heard of. This Sunday, I got the chance to go to Big House in Norfolk with some of my roommates.  One of the stories the pastor brought up was about Jehoshaphat.  I had totally forgotten about the story of him defeating the Moabites and Ammonites.  When Jehoshaphat is told that there is a vast army coming towards him, he is “alarmed” and “resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah” (NIV, 2 Chronicles 20: 3).  I think it’s really powerful that as a political head and leader he outwardly got alarmed and urgently sought help.  This is a huge act of humility.  He turned his decision making power over to the Lord.  In front of the courtyard he said a prayer to the Lord.  It ended with “we do not know what to do, but our ...

Six Million Steps: a Journey Inward November 22nd SArah Clark I never thought I could experience a virtual reality of the Camino until watching this film.  I got to see some of the non-glamorous moments hikers experience of six people snoring heavily in the same room, people sharing their dirty socks to stay warm and getting “rained on to the bone.”  I got to see the fun moments where hikers would play games where they would try to say “turkey, turkey, turkey” with wheat in their mouths.  I got to see cultural niches such as wine taps, very long pillows, dancers, musicians who can play their guitar behind their back, and “don’t shit” signs.  I got to see religious experiences such as a lady worshipping in one of the cathedrals.  I got to hear about profound trail relationships.  There was one girl from NY who even got adopted by a sweet couple.  They would wait at each stop to make sure she got there safely and would buy her wine.  There...

Voudou (or “Voodoo”) September 11, 2017 SArah Clark I’ve been doing some reading about Voudou in one of my classes.  One of the books is the Divine Horsemen by Maya Deren.  This book explains the roots of Voudou, an African based religion in Haiti.  The transatlantic slave trade movement had a huge effect on the development and mindset of this religion.  Haiti was the first black republic in the world and the first to abolish slavery in the West.  A lot of the religion is built off of freedom from slavery and oppression.  The religion is based off of "African tradition" and roots (Deren, 56).  Since Haiti is still on the Western hemisphere, it is also influenced by some western religious rituals and symbols.  They took the cross, a western religious symbol and translated it to crossroads to represent the economy and knowledge that could come to Africa.  Baptism is still practiced because it was "already a Negro tradition" (Deren, 57)...

4 Axioms October 14th, 2017 SArah Clark The definition of a sacred place varies from person to person, but Lane describes four guiding axioms that space a sacred place.  These axioms can be applied to most persons idea of a sacred place.  The first axiom states that sacred place is not chosen, it chooses (Lane, 19).  This reminds of the man Lane described in the woods.  He only had a sacred encounter with a deer once he was still and waited for it on it’s terms. The second axiom states that sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary (19).  The Lord promises to comfort the poor in spirit.  He chooses to make some of these ugly, ordinary experiences ritually extraordinary through the comfort and encounter with the Wholly. The third axiom is that sacred place can be tread upon without being entered (19).  An example are the Pharisees, who walked on the same sacred ground as Jesus, read the same truth as Jesus, went to the same tem...

Long Route is the Wise Route October 2nd, 2017 SArah Clark Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture mentioned that a “chain of mediators” were the “source of all creative power” (Turner, 16).  The “nature of its processual structure” could be built off of (Turner, 17).  It reminded me of the fact that I inherited my grandparents faith.  There have been a lot of blessings and miracles that have come from their deep rooted devotion and faithful walk with the Lord. Their walk is real and “vulnerable”, because they have been on the “route” for a “long” time (Turner, 11).  The goal for a pilgrim, or someone walking with the Wholly other, is to find a “deeper level of religious participation” and to take a “spiritual step forward” (Turner, 8).  This requires taking it day by day and step by step. Proverbs 8:34 says to gain spiritual wisdom we must be “watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” (NIV).  We wait at the door so we might get to see th...

Let’s be Under-Damped October 2rd, 2017 SArah Clark “Pilgrimage is that one’s attention is directed toward the dynamics of ideological change and persistence, rather than committed to analysis of static ideological patterns and cognitive structures” (Turner, 25).  We don’t want to reach a “stable state” where everything is constant and not challenging us (Turner, 2).  That is why a lot of people go on this dynamic experience of a pilgrimage.  Through this they can gain new, fresh ideas, so that they won’t just remain a stuck in their “static ideological patterns” (Turner, 25).  In class, Dr. Redick mentioned that he talked to his daughter on the phone and she was overwhelmed with stuff to do.  He told her that this was a blessing.  She won’t have to grow bored and she can contemplate what she really wants to be doing.  The pilgrimage process also requires “persistence” (Turner, 25).  This is necessary for “ordinary worshippers” (Turner, 4)...

Disinteresting thoughts October 13rd, 2017 SArah Clark A core concept I took from Phenomenology of Prayer was disinterested delight.  Disinterested delight is admiration for the sake of admiration.  It is not admiration in order to receive something in return, that is interested delight.  Since we are naturally in the middle of the cosmos chart, the idea of disinterested delight is unnatural to us as human beings.  In class, we talked about how if a boy is trying to get a girl to like him, he might ask her on a date or give her flowers or give her compliments.  All these actions of delight are to get something in return, her love.  This is interested delight.  When we go to worship, we can’t treat God like a girl we want to date.  We should not give him offerings of praise in order to receive our wants and needs.  In order to have a true encounter with the Wholly, we just admire Him from a humble state (14).  Prayer in of itself i...

Pure Elements October 13rd, 2017 By SArah Clark Reading the Phenomenology of Prayer was something that has benefited my own prayer life. Sometimes it is easy as a Christian to fall into an ordinary relationship with the Wholly other. However, it is not ordinary, it's extraordinary.  The five elements of prayer are: praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession.  Starting with prayer with praise, reminds us who we are praying to.  Before taking our midterm, I was reading Isaiah 6:1-8.  The God I serve is “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (NIV, Isaiah 6:1).  Whenever a king would conquer a new nation, they would add length to the train of their robe.  It’s important to remember that He holds dominion over all nations and His name will be forever praised.  The second element is thanksgiving.  We should thank him for his extraordinary “love for those who fear him.” It is no...

Gratitude can’t be Blacked Out November 24rd, 2017 SArah Clark I always think it’s interesting that thanksgiving has to be followed by Black Friday.  A holiday that is meant for contentment and gratitude turns into a game of how much you can get for as little of a cost.  It’s easy to get corrupted with this mentality of the marketplace and treat the deals as a means to an end to get what you want.  This mentality can be shifted very easily if you are more concerned about the needs for others.  If you’re excited for black friday because you can get more for the people you care about, then it’s not out of selfish ambition.  Another shifter of this attitude is gratitude.  Gratitude means counting your blessings rather than your wants.  Even though there is a lot of energy and excitement behind black friday, it leaves you feeling gross inside if it’s done with the wrong mentality.  I get really excited about getting the best deal, but if it’s...

Busy Bee October 16th, 2017 SArah Clark In class on day, Dr. Redick mentioned a phone call he had just had with his daughter.  She was overwhelmed with her busy life and being a PhD student. He told her the more busy you were, the more choices you have of stuff to do.  These choices were a blessing .  Then, she could really chose to do what she was passionate about, and she wouldn't have to grow bored.  It is easy to get stressed out about everything going on rather than counting it all as a blessing.  If you aren’t busy, you can fall into a familiar routine.  Familiarity can lead to complacency.  And those who are complacent no longer engage in the world like a child.  There are so many fields I could go into after this year, my senior year, and it can be overwhelming.  However, I don’t want to get caught up in the worry of these decisions.  Rather, I want to pick the things I am most passionate about and engage in them like a c...

Loosening the bonds of matter October 16th, 2017 SArah Clark Loosening the bonds of matter stretch your abilities and allow you to be able to rise above.  It can be painful, but it is rewarding.  In class we talked about how coaches and military officers help their students stretch their bonds of matter through discipline.  I was a competitive figure skater that had a lot of potential for success, but wasn’t feeling it everyday.  I needed coaches to hold me to the standard of success so I could rise above.  Some days they would have to threaten gloveless pushups on the cold ice to get me to be motivated to not mess up.  Or the Russian coaches would yell at me to go faster, extend greater, jump higher and pull in tighter.  Not everyone loves being yelled at, but I did.  I knew why they were doing it and it gave me an urgency to perform.  They saw potential in me and wanted to help me loosen the bonds of matter through hard discipline. ...

Marketplace October 16th, 2017 SArah Clark Who likes to save money? Going once going twice, everybody likes to save money.  The marketplace can be a crazy place.  Ladies in Haiti can break coconuts in right in your face to proof their product worth or dealers will give under the table deals based on the asymmetric customer information they have.  The sellers can treat their customers as a “means to an end” opposed to an ends to mean.  This is counter of what is thought to be ethical by Kant, the deontologist founder.  Some paramount traits of the marketplace are self interest, anxiety and manipulation. Boltman says “humans gain security in their manipulation of the world around them.”  When we know how to control the market, we feel powerful and knowledgeable.  The rich young ruler in the gospel was knocked off his high horse when the Lord asked him to give up his spoils from manipulating the marketplace well.  This invitation of becoming ...

Viewing Nature Interactively October 29nd, 2017 By SArah Clark It was really interesting to try to “see” nature at the Lions gate the way Annie Dillard does (Dillard, 210).  Her book says that “such receptivity demands spiritual training” (Dillard, 210).  Dr. Redick had to train us how to use all of our senses again: taste, smell, touch, sound, sight.  As adults, sometimes we fall into just using sight and sound.  In order to have the full experience, it's important to go back to all of our senses stimuli.  We can’t expect for the world to give us the experience without experiencing it ourselves.  Martin Buber says “t hose who experience do not participate in the world. For the experience is ‘in them’ and not between them and the world. The world does not participate in experience. It allows itself to be experienced, but it is not concerned, for it contributes nothing, and nothing happens to it” (I and Thou, 56).  As we walked around the lion...

Throughout the semester I have often found myself biking towards the closest beach. Whenever I was in a frenzy of emotions or thoughts. There was this one particular day when I felt so far within myself, that I retreated quickly to the river. I found myself at this small beach right by my neighborhood. I felt extremely restless  as I was biking. But when I  approached the beach, I started to feel a calm wash over me as I looked out into the still waters. Often times I would be at the beach at sunset or late in the evening but this time I was drawn to the waters midday. I was alone staring out into the expanse. My heart started to settle as I continued to sit and listen to the soft movements of the waves painting itself continuously across the shore. I did not expect the waves to be so still. I had often seen the waves on this beach be restless and explosive in the movements of its waves. It was as if today the calm nature of the waters was reminding me of peace. A peace that i...

     I go to First Church in Port Warwick and one of the most common phrases you will hear Bob, the pastor, say is: "Today is not about you, it is about God.  If you get a good feeling or learn something, that is great. But that's not why we are here."  The church today thrives off appeals to individuality and people constantly checking the opportunity cost of serving God before doing it.  That is why this statement and belief is so countercultural, serving God has become another activity and something that is done for ourselves.  I am incredibly guilty of this as I find myself thinking at times about what I will learn, what I will gain, and what general benefit will this service give me.  It is so easy for someone to know that service is about God and not about us but it is exceedingly difficult to actually believe that at times.  It is so difficult and simply due to our human condition that I think it may just require a genuine prayer that ...